Kingdom Come
by NightFury812
Summary: Sophie Bennett was home at last. It wasn't a good thing either. The place was driving her insane with stress and paranoia. On top of dealing with a troublesome past, she fears for her sanity when a certain winter spirit captures her attention.
1. Chapter 1: Home Again

**Kingdom Come**

Chapter 1: Home Again

* * *

Sophie Bennett was on her way home.

As simple as it sounded, the thought alone nearly drove the poor girl to tears as she tried desperately to think about anything else other than her old house. The car ride was bumpy and uncomfortable due to the weather beaten roads and her mother's unshakable silence. The two had barely talked to each other over the past three years. It was unfortunate that she had to spend her final senior year of high school with her.

The blonde knew for a fact that she wasn't going to survive that long, and as they drove through the small town she began to make a list. It was a simple list, but it would be a little challenging to carry out. She needed distractions other than school to occupy her time. So without a doubt the first thing that came to mind was to get a job. Second was to find some acquaintances, but not friends. An acquaintance or two would be easy to control, but actual friends could be tricky. It required trust and honesty which were two things that she sucked at. And third was to find something creative to do to get her out of the house more. Maybe she could take up drawing again? Or reading?

"So, how does it feel to be back in town again?" The question sounded forced and incredibly awkward in the eerily quiet car.

Barely managing to resist cringing, Sophie quietly responded with a short answer. "It's different."

"Different good? Or different bad?"

Letting out a small sigh, the teen rolled her head towards the window to observe the townsfolk walking around the surprisingly busy street. A few kids squealed in delight as they ran through the small grassy monument park. A sharp breeze ruffled their hair wildly as they sprinted around trying to catch each other.

"…I don't know yet." She replied after a length of time.

Thankfully the conversation ended after that, and in no time at all they reached their small two-story house. Sophie emerald eyes scanned the familiar sight for a moment, taking note of the few changes to her childhood home before she got out of the car.

"You can use your old room upstairs or even Jamie's. But he's probably going to need it back when he comes back for the holidays though."

That's okay; I'll just take my old room."

They both helped each other to move all four giant boxes of Sophie's stuff to her bedroom. It took almost a half an hour, and after turning down her mom's offer to help her unpack, the teen finally stood alone in her room. She knew she should be doing something productive, but the only thought that came to her mind was to get out of this place. There was no concrete reason why she felt this way, but she felt strangely insecure as if the walls surrounding her were watching her with judging eyes.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves she began to unpack most of her belongings until the afternoon sun shined a dim orange throughout her entire room. Squinting through the window, Sophie then turned back to observe her hard work before spotting a book to read and snatching it up. It was time for her to find an outdoor escape from this place.

She stealthily crept downstairs and past the kitchen where her mother was cooking them both dinner. Using the backdoor she slipped outside and felt a little giddy about managing to escape unseen. Creeping away from the door, she accidently rammed her foot into a little, but deceivingly heavy garden gnome. Cursing under her breath as she held onto her throbbing toe, she eventually let go then limped away to the spot in the fence that was still thankfully broken.

Swinging the piece of wood to the side, she slid through the hole and bolted for the forest. Hopefully nothing had changed, she thought desperately as she hurried forward towards the prettiest place in all of Burgess. As Sophie arrived she slowed down to admire the beauty of the scene before her and with a happy grin she sat down on the slight hill before the lake. It was a nice and secluded spot, the perfect place for hiding away and to think about things. It was simple place with a bunch of surroundings bushy pine trees with a fantastic view of a beautiful lake. It froze over every winter and was the perfect place to go ice skating.

After getting reacquainted with it, she eventually lied down and began reading her book, hoping to come close to finishing the chapter she was on before the sun went down. Her phone buzzed irritatingly at her side multiple times as her mom called or texted for her to come home. A tiny stab of guilt ate at her each time this happened until finally she sat up then blinked as a sudden cold draft blew into her.

Frowning at the randomness of it, Sophie took out her phone and sighed when she saw that it was indeed her mom that was bugging her. Standing up she took two steps then gasped as she ran into a fuzzy patch of air. There was no other way to describe it as her entire body tingled like it had just felt a ghost or something.

Glancing back and forth worriedly, Sophie quietly told herself, "Don't worry, it was nothing. Nothing to worry about."

At the top of the slight hill, she turned to face the lake once more before staring down at the place she had felt something off. There was nothing wrong with the area, but her gut instinct told her that something big had happened just a second ago.

Deciding not to over think it, the teen quickly walked home and missed as the ground frosted over mysteriously as she disappeared back into her yard.

* * *

"I think I'm going to try to get a part time job at the gas station."

"Oh that one in the middle of town? Isn't that a bit far? I don't think I'll be able to drive you home some nights if I get held over at work." Her mom started worriedly as Sophie took another bite out of her homemade lasagna. It used to be one of her favorite dinners to eat as a child.

"It's only a ten minute walk from the house. I'll be fine."

"I want to take you though. I want to be there for you." Mrs. Bennett told her daughter as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose as they slid down once more. It was an old habit of her mothers that Sophie faintly remembered.

"I can take care of myself. I'm almost eighteen anyways." Sophie tried to say reassuringly as her mom continued to send her sad looks.

The blonde walked over to the sink to start doing the dishes, not thinking twice about it until her mom quickly stood up and said. "No wait, I'll do those, you go enjoy the rest of your night."

"It's fine, I-"

"Please Sophie, just let me."

Trying desperately to ignore the huge elephant in the room, Sophie hurriedly turned on her heel and walked upstairs to her room. Slamming the bedroom door behind herself accidently, she stood in the still unsorted mess in her room. She couldn't help but feel as if her belongings were like a visual replica her soul at that moment; chaotic and disorganized. Yet, still wanting desperately to return to some resemblance of normal again.

Ignoring the fresh tears that started to brim in the corners of her eyes, she wiped them away like pests before flopping down onto her bed. It felt stiff and chilly from disuse, and it made her heart ache even more. Why did her dad have to force her to come back here again?

Choking back the sobs that threatened to escape she turned her back to the remaining sunlight in the room and cried herself to sleep. A frosted handprint formed on her window glass as she did so, but once again she was too caught up in her grief to notice her surroundings.

* * *

A week later after settling in, Sophie still felt out of place, but things were getting a little better as she found new reasons to get out of the house. Her favorite place to go was the lake even though she never felt that strange icy feeling again. For some reason, it nagged at her. Although she should probably be glad that it never bothered her again.

She tried applying for the job at the gas station and was still waiting for someone to call for an interview. All she really had left on her tiny list was to find a few acquaintances. Even one would do at this point.

Forcing a soft green beanie over her head she glanced over herself once in the mirror and determined that her baggy sweatshirt and jeans would be decent enough for her first day at school.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you!?" Mrs. Bennett called up the stairs.

"Nah, I'll walk." Sophie refused as she walked downstairs, but quickly added to it upon seeing her mom's crestfallen features. "Thanks for the offer though, I just want to have some time to myself before my first class starts."

"You've been spending a lot of time by yourself ever since you've gotten here."

Sophie inwardly cringed at the worry and suspicion in her mother's tone. "I'm just getting used to things around here. I like spending time by myself."

Ignoring the evaluating look the older woman gave her; Sophie hurriedly shouldered her small black and white checkered backpack and fled out the door. The crisp morning air was an instant relief as she opened her eyes to view the sun rising over the mountains surrounding Burgess. A small smile worked its way onto her reluctant lips as she stepped forward only to trip over a potted fern.

Growling lowly at her own clumsiness, Sophie grimaced at her scraped up palms and weakly kicked at the offending fern before heading towards the high school. She had made it only a few steps when she heard a distant high pitched squeaking sound. Frowning she stopped and listened harder and sent a skeptical glance over her shoulder to look back at her house window but saw nobody there.

"This place is already making me crazy," Sophie told herself as she hurriedly moved down the street and away from the bizarre noises that sounded like laughter.

* * *

**A/N: I'm so excited to get this story out. Finally! I've been working on figuring this out almost as long as I've been working on my other story _Forever_. I'm glad I waited on this one though because it's more concrete in my head now and I know what direction it's going to take and how it'll end. **

**Anyways I've pondered over what would have happened to Jack if Pitch never acted up in the first place and Jack never became a Guardian. So, in this story he hasn't been believed in yet, and has pretty much given up on being noticed at this point. This will eventually be a Jack/Sophie romance which is why I had a decade or so go by so that she's 17 currently. Jamie's in college but will play a small part in this story. And yeah, I think that's about it...**


	2. Chapter 2: Friends?

**Kingdom Come**

Chapter 2: Friends?

* * *

The first day of school could be described with one word: awkward.

Scuffling her sneakers against the concrete sidewalk, Sophie grudgingly trekked back to her new home. During the entire day she had garnered much unwanted attention, which caused her to begin fidgeting every time she noticed their stares. A handful of her peers had recognized her, and sent curious glances her way but she pretend not to notice.

The sight of her house in the distance stopped her in her tracks, and after a brief hesitation she took a different path. The forest behind her house greeted her with the distinct smell of pine trees and in no time at all she was nestled in the same spot she found herself at yesterday.

Falling back with a thud, she let out a low groan. Today had been just as horrible as she had imagined it would be. She missed her old friends back in Michigan when she had been living at her dad's place. As much as she tried to deny it, leaving them hurt more than it should have.

"… You again, huh?"

Sophie jack-knifed upwards and glanced around warily. She was positive that she had been alone when she had arrived here. What was with this place?

"Uh… Is anyone there?" Sophie asked cautiously as she scanned the area but she could find no one with her. She really must be losing her mind because now she was hearing things.

A light breeze buffeted her as if to answer her question, and after giving the area one last suspicious look, Sophie plopped down again and dozed off.

However, right as she drifted closer towards unconsciousness, the strange presence from before ghosted above her. The chilly aura caused her flesh to break out into goose bumps, but she refused to open her eyes. The rational side of her told her that nothing would be there if she did, but somewhere a childish hope believed that something was floating above her. Whatever it was didn't seem to mean her any harm. A small smile graced her lips at the thought of someone watching out for her, not because of obligation but because they wanted to.

* * *

"Did you make any new friends today or see any old ones?" Mrs. Bennett asked with a slightly hopeful tone, although Sophie could already detect traces of anticipated disappointment.

Finishing her dinner and placing her dishes in the sink, Sophie quietly answered, "No."

"Oh, well I'm sure you'll make some soon." Her mother replied awkwardly.

"I'm going to go to bed," Sophie stated in monotone as she began to walk out of the kitchen. However, her mother reached out as she passed to snag her wrist in a firm grip.

"Listen, I'm sorry, honey. I really am trying."

"It's too late!" Sophie snapped, surprising probably herself more than her now doe-eyed mother who quickly released her arm at her sudden outburst.

"It's too late for that," Sophie practically whispered before she hurriedly rushed upstairs to her old room.

Neither of them got much sleep that night.

* * *

Fate couldn't leave her alone for more than a few hours it seemed because the next day she made an acquaintance. That in itself was fine, but it was turning out to be more than them being just school buddies. She refused to call this new person a 'friend' just yet. So far, their relationship wasn't quite as troubling as beings labeled as friends, but it worried the blonde that it could possibly become more.

It was one of her brother Jamie's friends that managed to get held back for three years. The girl simply refused to participate in school, so she didn't even have the bare minimum grade average to graduate. Sophie didn't know why the girl didn't just quit after failing so many years in a row. Everyone in the school avoided this girl like the plague, so naturally Sophie became curious and took a sudden interest in the beastly student. She knew one day that her curiosity would eventually get her into trouble.

Walking into her next class, which happened to be intermediate algebra, Sophie took in the lack of remaining seats and grimaced. Her choices were pitiful. They included a spot by the class know it all if she remembered correctly, a kid that always got sick every other week, and the girl that had managed to spike her interest recently. With a sigh, Sophie took her pick and walked towards the back of the class to sit beside the hulking form of the strange girl.

"Hey, do you mind if I sit here?" Sophie asked meekly as she inwardly cringed at her voice change that usually sounded a lot lower and more relaxed. It was an instinctual small voice that happened whenever she felt intimidated by someone else, whether she didn't want to use it or not. As the girl in front of her turned her head to stare her down, she knew without a doubt this girl at least five times her size could easily break her in half without a second thought.

Dark eyes roamed over her as if to silently question if she was really asking to sit beside her. Sophie didn't speak up again. She waited awkwardly for the larger girl to be the deciding factor of her innocent request.

"Do I even have a choice to say no?" The gruff girl grumbled out. Sophie fidgeted at her uninviting tone as she continued to stand to the side uncomfortably. "You're Jamie's sister right?"

Shocked at the randomness of it, Sophie stuttered out. "Y-yeah, my name's Sophie."

"Cool, mine's Cupcake."

"That's an interesting name."

"I hate it," Cupcake deadpanned as she turned back to the front of the room.

"Oh," Sophie responded quietly, unsure of how to proceed or if she should even ask if it was still alright if she became her table partner.

"Yeah, I remember you though, we used to play together a long time ago whenever Jamie got all of us and the neighbors together. We would play practically every day outside until the sun would set." Cupcake reminisced fondly. The older girl eyed the chair then glance back at Sophie as if to silently ask her what she was doing still standing there like an idiot.

Taking that as her cue to sit, Sophie slid into the uncomfortable wooden chair and breathed a sigh of relief. This was turning out to be way more troublesome than she thought it was going to be.

"I haven't seen you around here in forever."

"What? Oh, yeah I've been living at my dad's place in Michigan for the past few years. I just got back here about a week ago." Sophie explained briefly, not wanting to share her personal problems with this person she barely knew.

Cupcake grunted her affirmation that she had heard her before asking another question. "Do you still have your schedule that they gave you on the first day, Blondie?"

"Um, sure just a second." The blonde fished it out of her backpack and blinked stupidly at the grin that formed on Cupcake's lips.

"We have three classes together. One of them is art. My favorite class."

"Really? That's pretty cool." Sophie responded while on the inside she inwardly cursed. Did this mean that she would be forced to endure awkward moments and conversations for nearly three hours every day from now on? She didn't want another close friend. Couldn't the universe just accept her intentions to keep everyone around her at a distance?

However, during the following days of school Cupcake had easily wormed her way into Sophie's life and became her friend. As much as Sophie wanted to fret over her careless mistake, she couldn't deny that her new friendship made her ridiculous happy.

* * *

**A/N: I've been so busy these past few months, but I'll try to get chapters out on my days off. I had to edit this while playing Call of Duty Black Ops zombies with my friends, so there might be a few mistakes in there. I hope you guys enjoyed and I should have another chapter out soon...**


	3. Chapter 3: The Ghost

**Kingdom Come**

Chapter 3: The Ghost

* * *

Two weeks went by as slowly as trekking through mud, and it didn't seem like a silver lining was on the horizon. The only good thing was that it was finally Friday, so Sophie could stay up as long as she wanted to without having to worry about waking up early the next morning. So she did what a lot high school students did at eleven o' clock at night. She was hunched over her computer looking up YouTube videos. After every click on a new video, she would also tell herself that it would be the last one. It never was.

Clicking away at another video, she watched the iconic buffering circle in the center of the screen feeling impatience gnawing on her last nerves. Then out of nowhere, all the light cut out in her room and an error message flashed across her computer screen. Of all the nights they had to randomly lose power, it just had to be tonight. Letting out a frustrated huff, Sophie reached out and flopped her arm around uselessly in the darkness to search for her cell phone. She must have put it somewhere nearby, but she couldn't tell in the pitch darkness of her room.

"What the heck? Where did you go stupid thing?" She mumbled tiredly.

Something creaked behind her chair, and just the sound alone made her blood run cold. Instead of running like a sane person, the blonde froze up and held as still as humanly possible. Sophie held her breath as light thudding noises could be heard on the floorboards behind her.

She jerked her arm awkwardly across the table back towards her chest, accidently knocking something off the desk in front of her. The blonde yelped as the weighted object hit her leg and slid off to the side of her chair seat. Her hands darted forward to feel what it was, and she scowled angrily as the realization came quick to her. Stupid freaking phone...

Pressing the home button, she stood up from her chair and shuffled towards the wall to place her back against it as she located the flashlight app on her phone. The room quickly illuminated with bright florescent light, and she shined it jerkily back and forth to locate the source of the noise that had spooked her. Emerald eyes focused on everything that seemed out of place, but there was nothing that could have made the noise. Still she refused to drop her phone as she slid down her wall and eyed the small room with distrust. The only occupants of the house were Sophie and her mother. There was no explanation for the random noises, and not knowing what it was frightened her.

"Is this whole town of Burgess haunted? I can't even go outside without feeling like I'm being stalked or something." Sophie talked to herself as she tried to figure things out. "I know someone's here, but… maybe I really am just going insane."

"That makes two of us."

There was a brief pause as Sophie registered the definite male sounding voice coming from her room before she screamed louder than before, effectively waking her mother up from the room down the hall.

"Sophie!? Sophie what's wrong!?"

"Mom, there's someone in here! Call the cops or something! There's someone in my room!" Sophie screeched in terror as her mother burst through the door and looked around the small room with help from the light still coming from the phone.

"Why are you on the floor? And why is it so dark in here?" Her mother asked as she felt her way along the wall with her hand and located the light switch. Most of her initial fear left her though at the sight of her daughter's surprisingly empty room. After hearing Sophie's extreme reaction, she was positive that someone must have been in the room. However, it was obvious that no one else inhabited the small bedroom besides the two of them.

Ignoring the half suspicious and half annoyed stare her mother was tossing her way, Sophie stood up and chuckled awkwardly. "It um... must have been my imagination? Sorry."

"Just go to bed, I'll see you in the morning."

The door clicked shut, and Sophie face palmed before frowning at the light switch. Now that she knew for certain that there was a ghost in her room, there was no way in hell she would be getting any sleep tonight.

* * *

"You look terrible." Cupcake remarked bluntly as she observed Sophie's haggard appearance Monday morning during their first class together. They had arrived early and still had a few minutes to chat before class started.

"My place is haunted, and every time I try to sleep the ghost will do something." The blonde explained in monotone. At this point she didn't even care if she sounded like a crazy person. That and she wasn't too concerned about weirding out Cupcake who seemed very interested in her raccoon like rings around her eyes. This ghost was going to be the end of her before she knew it.

"There's a ghost haunting you?" Cupcake raised an eyebrow and shook her head before continuing. "I find things like that hard to believe, but I guess I'll have to this time. You really look like crap."

"Thanks." Sophie deadpanned sarcastically.

"No problem, but seriously if you need a place to stay to catch up on some shut eye, you can always take a nap at my place after school." The beastly girl suggested as she gave Sophie another look over. "I mean you look like a corpse."

"Once again, thanks."

"You're welcome."

* * *

Sophie ended up taking Cupcake up on that offer, and accidently slept the afternoon away on her new friend's couch. She woke up hazily trying to remember where she was when it came to her. Glancing up at Cupcake's girly pink clock on the wall, Sophie panicked and began to hurry out of the house as fast as she could. She had slept nearly seven hours, and it was nearing midnight. "Shoot, I've got to get home!"

After thanking Cupcake and her mom on the way out the door, Sophie shivered in the early autumn chilly weather as she hurriedly walked back to her place. Her sleep-ridden mind was not helping her out in the slightest. She nearly jumped out of her skin a couple times as townsfolk still up at that time would make loud, startling noises that carried down the empty, dark streets.

"I'm so cold, and too freaked out for this right now," Sophie muttered under her breath as she approached her still ominous looking home. "I really hate this place. I want to go back to Michigan so bad."

Stumbling inside her house, Sophie rushed up to her room and picked out an old t-shirt and soft pajama pants. Taking her clothes to the bathroom, she changed before going back into her room that never truly felt empty anymore. It was filled with a certain energy that left her feeling jumpy and nervous all the time.

"I swear next time I manage to get ahold of my dad, I'm leaving this place." Sophie grumbled in agitation as she yanked the covers over her lower half and leaned back against her pillow and headboard.

She tilted her head to the side and cringed in pain as her eyes dilated sharply when something reflected brightly back at her from across the room. "What the?"

Leaning off the side of her bed and glancing towards the window she noticed something on the edge of the windowsill and floor beneath it. It was a clear substance that used the moon's light to shine back at her sensitive eyes. Whatever it was looked strangely artistic and purposeful. As Sophie tried to figure out the pattern like shapes she kept finding along the floor the clouds helpfully drifted away from the moon above. More and more of the darkened floor was revealed until Sophie realized with a sudden dreaded thought, what they were. Footprints.

They started out by the floor underneath the window then circled around the room before stopping next to her bedside. The clouds finally disappeared, and the moon shined fully through her window into her room. It was easy to see then that the trail ended there, and Sophie shivered as she stared pointedly by the footprints next to her bed. Now that she thought about it the slight breeze she had felt when she had moved before felt like someone breathing across the top of her head.

Panicking, Sophie lurched back and gazed with wide eyes at the space in front of her, desperate to find something physical that she could place her fear in only to see nothing. "Oh God... Listen, I don't know if I accidentally upset you or something Mr. Ghost, and I'm really sorry if I did... but can you please just leave me alone? I haven't been able to sleep in days, and I'm so tired."

Silence rang back at her for several moments before anything happened. Then floorboards creaked eerily before a thud sounded from the side where the window had somehow swung open. A sharp breeze cut through her room and in an instant Sophie felt truly alone at last. It had actually listened to her, and was gone.

A harsh stabbing of guilt surprised her but she refused to dwell on it as she got out of bed and went over to the window. Closing it gently, she then turned to kneel beside one of the footprints. Her fingertips brushed the length of one and she choked on a startled yelp at the unexpected cold that nipped at her skin. It was ice.

Glancing once more out the window, Sophie wondered why a simple ghost would have ice powers.

* * *

**A/N: I can't stop thinking of Danny Phantom with that last sentence. That cartoon was so freaking awesome, I could never stop watching it when I was younger :) I have chapter 4 written already and all I have left to do is finish editing it, so I'll have it uploaded in a couple days. **


	4. Chapter 4: Searching for Answers

**Kingdom Come**

Chapter 4: Searching for Answers

* * *

"See what I mean, they totally look like footprints, right? And they're made of ice. At least now I have proof that I'm not completely crazy." Sophie explained proudly.

"What kind of weird poltergeist shit is going down at your house? This is so cool, you should've called me over before it all melted." Cupcake said in awe as she flipped through all the pictures of the bizarre footprints on her cell phone.

"It was almost midnight though. I don't think my mom would have appreciated having company over at that time. Sorry."

"At least Skype or Facetime me or something." The hulky girl persisted before handing her back her phone. "That's too cool of an opportunity to miss. You should call one of those ghost adventure people that they have on those t.v. shows."

"I can't, my mom would throw a fit and probably send me and the poor ghost crew into an insane asylum." The blonde argued as she flicked through the photos again herself. "Seriously though, what kind of ghost has the ability to freeze the floor? I get the whole chilling, ghostly atmosphere, but causing actual ice. That's a bit odd don't you think?"

"Maybe you've got a Frosty the Snowman ghost following you?" Cupcake chuckled as she began doodling on her notebook in front of her.

Frosty the Snowman? That actually might not be too far off. However, thinking of snowmen made her thought process turn to winter then Chirstmas then Santa Claus. What if this ghost wasn't a ghost at all though? What if it… or he, Sophie remembered correctly (after hearing his faint voice a couple times) was a mythical being instead? A childish sort of glee filled her insides with anxious butterflies at the thought of uncovering something so unique.

She was going to research a bit more before coming to any conclusions though. As far as she knew, it could still be just a ghost. Maybe if she could find a way to communicate with it she could get some answers?

"You still zoned out, Blondie?"

"What? Oh oops, sorry about that. I was just thinking about how I'm going to figure out who the ghost is. I'm mean there's probably only a few ice making creatures out there, right?"

* * *

Sophie spent hours after school that day looking up mythical ice creatures and narrowing down her never-ending list. She was wrong about thinking there would only be a few though. There were freaking millions of these ice guys. Yet it was easy narrowing down even if it was time consuming, for example: the ghost couldn't be an ice nymph since they were an only female species. Then she crossed off Jotuns or frost giants from her list as well since she couldn't imagine anything giant sneaking in and out of her room in the night.

Groaning at her lack of progress, she was almost tempted to name the ghost Frosty at this point. However, at least she finally had something to occupy her time, she thought with a sad smirk at how pitiful and strange she must look. Her half crazed, raccoon like eyes rarely blinked as they skimmed the monitor in front of her while her body hunched over the keyboard almost protectively. She just had to know what that thing was even if it drove her mad trying to find out.

"That's it, I need a break," Sophie sighed out, as she shoved away from her desk. She left the picture of an ice demon bearing it's fangs out in a creepy snarl on the screen as she headed downstairs and slipped her shoes on. It was still light out, so she quickly hurried to her favorite little lake and allowed the place to sponge out all the mental strain she had put herself through the last few hours.

Lying down in the soft grass, Sophie let out another sigh of relief and opened her eyes only to squeak in surprise. A flurry of leaves floated down to land on her face and she tried to bat them frantically away with her hands. The crisp leaves crunched as she swatted them to the ground before lying still once more only this time with a slight smile on her face. She loved the outdoors; there had never been a time in her life where she hadn't loved being outside.

The daylight was fading slowly away after a while and when Sophie opened her eyes again to see this she frowned. Her stomach growled in reminder that had yet to eat dinner, but she didn't want to leave just yet. She sat up and yawned, stretching her arms to get some feeling back into them after her little nap when she first saw it.

A white and blue blur raced through the thick bushy pine trees with such speed that it took her breath away. The creature nimbly picked a path and vanished without a trace so effortlessly and quietly that if she hadn't spotted it then she would have missed it completely.

Wondering if she was just seeing things, Sophie shook her head then traveled back to her house to stuff her face with whatever her mom made that night.

* * *

"Honey, are you okay? You've been spacing out for a while now."

"Uh w-wait what?" Sophie blinked a few times to focus again on the fried chicken and mashed potatoes that still sat on her plate. Her stomach rumbled again to reaffirm her hunger that she had before she had blanked out again. "Oh yeah, yeah I'm okay."

"… Well alright then." Mrs. Bennett said at length before taking a drink of her iced tea. She set her glass down but she didn't retract her hand as she continued to stare at the object. It looked like tonight was going to be a stale zoning out night for both of them. Whereas Sophie couldn't shift her thoughts from what she saw in the woods, her mother sat rigidly with her jaw set. It was a sign that she was contemplating on something important. Whatever it was though, she decided not to share it with her daughter.

"What is it?" Sophie finally asked after getting a little unnerved at her mother staring blackly at her tea for a half a minute.

"Oh… nothing just… I managed to stop by that gas station you talked about a few weeks ago. I asked how the application process was coming along, and managed to pull a few strings. I think you'll be getting a phone call soon for an interview." A hesitant smile formed on her mom's lips as she waited expectantly for her daughter's response.

The blonde had to reign in her surging anger that rushed forth at the thought of her mom interfering with her affairs. She had wanted to do everything by herself to showcase her maturity and independence. Yet her mother was still treating her like a helpless child that needed a guiding hand. It was beyond infuriating, but Sophie quickly masked her emotions and tried to calm down before she exploded. The reasonable side of her cried out above the fury and frustration brimming at the surface though, telling her of the more likely story. Her mother just wanted to get on her good side again by doing her an act of kindness. She had gone out of her way to help her daughter succeed.

"I-ah, thank you." Sophie replied awkwardly as she began eating once more to avoid any more conversation for a while.

Her mother looked like she was going to cry for a minute before she finally managed to say. "It looked like a nice place. The cashier lady that I talked to was very kind."

Sophie grunted in acknowledgement as she continued to shove food in her mouth. It seemed like the only thing she truly missed from her mother while she was away was her admittedly heaven-like cooking skills.

After she had finished eating, the blonde slowly trudged back upstairs and slumped down in her desk chair. Shaking the computer mouse to wake the monitor up, Sophie frowned at what appeared. A tiny elf had replaced the ice demon that had filled the entire screen only a few hours ago. The creature had chalk white skin and pale blue clothing. It almost looked like an old cartoon style of design.

There was no name by the image, and when she clicked on the website link she was met with a blank screen. Apparently the webpage had been deleted at some point.

"... Argh, I'm so done with this! I'm going to bed."

* * *

"You saw something weird happen again, and you didn't contact me…. Again!" Cupcake continued to scold her during art class, when Sophie discretely mentioned how she saw something in the woods.

"I couldn't take a video of it, the blue thing was moving too fast. It was so cool though, but I have no idea what it was." Sophie explained as she traced the outline of the lake sketch that she was working on. They had a paint project due in a few weeks, and they all needed to have a rough sketch of their paintings by the end of the week. Without really thinking of it, Sophie added the blue creature into the background subtly enough that no one but her would know it was there.

"I feel like we should hang out more after school, that way I can experience these things too." The bulky girl grumbled before she playfully nudged Sophie, which nearly made the blonde fall out of her chair. "By the way, what were you doing out in the woods that late anyway?"

"Taking a nap."

"By yourself?" Cupcake frowned.

"Well, not really since I had mister ghosty watching over me apparently." Sophie said with a small grin.

"You've got guts girl to stay out that late in the woods and take a nap of all things. What if a wolf snatched you up or something? Or if a bear mauled you while you were sleeping?"

"I like taking naps outside though, it's the only time I can actually sleep peacefully."

"You remind me so much of your brother with all your weird quirks." Cupcake told her with a faint smile. "You two are so much alike that sometimes it's just strange."

"I haven't seen Jamie in years," Sophie admitted. "I miss him so much."

"He should be back in a few weeks, and you can see him then." Cupcake informed her without missing a beat. Although she wasn't paying attention to Sophie as a mixed expression came across the girl's face. The bulky girl kept her eyes glued to her paper instead as she erased a crooked line that messed up her horse sketch.

"Oh yeah, I remember my mom telling me about that a few weeks ago."

"Hopefully winter break will come up soon. I can't wait for the old gang to come home again. I miss my big bunch of idiots."

Sophie nodded in response as she tried to picture her older brother coming home for the holidays. It had been years since she thought about seeing Jamie again. Yet now there was a very real possibility that she would be able to catch up with him for the first time in years. Unlike most siblings, the two had been inseparable even past their childhood years, getting into all sorts of trouble and mischief together. It had been devastating to them when they had chosen opposite sides when their parents started fighting.

* * *

**A/N: Yay, I like doing quick updates! Man today was a sucky day, not for me but for my beta reader Ixel202. She just got her wisdom teeth out today and is in a lot of pain. So it might be a while before she does anymore editing for this story. Although I have up to chapter 9 written out and I'm starting on chapter 10 tonight. I'm guessing that the next update should be out in about 2 weeks or less, but I'll keep writing later stuff in the meantime. Hope you guys enjoyed reading this. Jack should be showing up soon.**


	5. Chapter 5: Unexpected Sightseeing

**Kingdom Come**

Chapter 5: Unexpected Sightseeing

* * *

It was another one of those boring rainy afternoons, and Sophie was desperately trying to figure out what she wanted to do. She was alone in the house since her mom was out running some errands and doing other boring adult stuff. She wished sometimes that she had more friends just so she could avoid moments like this on a Saturday night. Letting out another sigh, Sophie glanced towards the foggy window and wondered what her ghost was up to. The blonde hadn't 'seen' him around for nearly a week and was wondering if he had left her entirely.

All she really wanted to do was nap at her favorite lake spot, but unless she wanted to come home drenched in mud later then that wasn't an option.

After restlessly swinging her legs off the side of the bed for another few minutes, Sophie eventually got up and walked out of her room. This was the first time she had the house all to herself, and the idea to investigate came to mind as she peeked around every old nook and cranny. There was nothing overly spectacular about the newer looking version of her old childhood home. Some things hadn't even changed since she had moved out.

Deciding to cut her adventure short, she glanced up then paused. From where she stood in the office room upstairs she could see a little square shape on the ceiling. Inching closer, Sophie realized that the place had an attic, and a jolt of adrenaline coursed through her at the thought. Had her mom or brother even used it? What if she found some neat things up there? Or the ghost?

"Won't know until I look, will I?" Sophie said with a grin as she pulled down the hatch and coughed as a shower of dust puffed out into the room. A set of stairs fell down, and after yanking on them to test the sturdiness of it Sophie began to climb up. As soon as she reached the top, the blonde grabbed her cell phone and put the flashlight app back on as she investigated the storage like space.

The place was littered with boxes of junk, tools, and toys from her childhood. Sitting down by one of them, she pried it open and smiled down at the box filled with forgotten stuffed animals. The worn out one-eyed bunny especially made her feel giddy inside as she reached out to hug it to her chest. This simple stuffed rabbit had been her best friend so long ago. The happy memories and feelings attached to him panged deeply in her heart in remembrance.

"I missed you, Mr. Hoppy."

Setting Mr. Hoppy to the side, Sophie rummaged through multiple boxes before the sound of the garage door opening tore her from her task. It looked like her mom had gotten home early, and even though it didn't really matter, Sophie didn't want her to know she had been up here. Stumbling over a misplaced box as she rushed towards the stairs, Sophie quickly began cleaning up the mess then paused. A children's book rested on the floor that held a couple of holiday spirits on the front cover page.

Curiously Sophie flipped through the pages then stopped when she got to the winter season section. There was a picture of a large jolly old Saint Nick eating cookies with elves littering the ground around his feet. Then it began to describe the many famous reindeer on Santa's sleigh team when she spotted a rather peculiar looking elf. Remembering what she had seen the other day in the woods, Sophie's emerald eyes widened in disbelief at the snow elf dressed in a blue outfit. It looked almost exactly like the elf image on computer, she recalled as she continued to skim the page. The story went on to describe how the elf creature named Jack Frost brought about winter to the entire world. It was his job to make sure as many people as possible could enjoy a snowy wonderland on Christmas Day.

Jack Frost

Was that really who she saw the other day? That didn't make sense though. Weren't these magical beings supposed to be just myths created by adults to entertain children? Although she knew that behind every legend there always seemed to be a bit of truth. Still it seemed highly unlikely, and she doubted that she had solved this ghost problem so easily. Jack Frost was just an expression anyways, wasn't it?

Doubt plagued her thoughts now as she crawled down the stairs and tucked them back up into the wall before her mom saw what she had done. Then she hurried to her room where she sat at her desk researching winter spirits, only to keep running into the same guy over and over again. It looked like Jack Frost was going to stick around longer than she thought.

* * *

It was around noon, which was perfect for Sophie since she needed the extra sunlight to add the last few finishing touches to her sketch. The scene quickly started to come to life under her careful eye, and within the next hour she had finally finished it.

"Yes, I'm done!"

She flopped back against the grass and began to doze off like usual when a strange noise made her alert to her surroundings. Propping herself up on her elbows, Sophie glanced around with mild irritation directed mostly at herself. Maybe Cupcake's warnings about wolves and bears killing her in the woods weren't so far fetched after all.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Sophie lied back down only to hear the odd humming again. It almost sounded like… singing?

"But if you close your eyes, does it feel like nothing changed at all? But if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like you've been here before? How am I gonna be an optimist about this? How am I gonna be an optimist about this?" The popular music chorus rang out softly through the clearing. It was slower than the original song and seemed to hold a more depressing edge to it as if the person singing knew the true weight of those words.

Frowning a bit at the randomness of it, Sophie reached into her pocket to fish out her cell phone for Cupcake. Pressing the home key and getting ready to film a video of whatever was going to happen next, the blonde groaned lightly in frustration. Her battery life had run dry and all she was met with was a repetitive charge sign on the screen. She re-pocketed the electronic then continued to discretely search for the male singer in the woods.

A sharp breeze gusted through the woods making the slender blonde shiver in response, and to her surprise a flurry of snowflakes accompanied the wind. It was still a bit early for winter, but Sophie didn't mind the hurried arrival of the season. She prayed that she could get a few snow days while she was staying here.

"Heh, like heck I would join up with him. Give me another few hundred years then I might consider it." An aggravated voice cut across the lake.

Emerald eyes focused in on the source and widened in shock at the sight of the white blue creature. It definitely was a human male from what she could see at a large distance, maybe about her age but taller and lean in stature. A hooked shepherd staff rested against his shoulder from his lazy grip on it and towered a foot higher than the boy in height. He wore a blue hoodie and had startling snow-white hair, which made Sophie know for sure that this was the person she'd seen before. Lastly, he was wearing skintight brown pants and, curiously, no shoes as he walked around barefoot while he talked to seemingly no one but himself.

The similarities between this strange boy and the tiny elf from her computer and children's book were uncanny. It made Sophie wonder if she had at last managed to peg down exactly who this guy was.

A flashback from earlier when he had practically flown through the trees at lightning speed made Sophie cautious to approach. She knew almost nothing about this guy except for his strange appearance and singing abilities. So she sat there and observed as he continued to mumble to himself and occasionally shout at the trees around him. It almost looked like he was schizophrenic, but even that classification wasn't quite right. Maybe it was just a case of extreme loneliness to the point where even inanimate objects were great listeners and conservationists.

"You know I won't do it eventually, I'll even give up on my duties as a spirit if you won't talk to me! I'm sick of this life! I'm sick of this crap! Shit, I'm just so-" The snowy-haired teen paused then seemed to crumble in on himself before he shook his head a chuckled unconvincingly. "Hey wind, give me a ride will ya?"

It would be an understatement to say Sophie was shocked at this point. The boy simply lifted off the ground and quite literally flew away from the clearing as he rocketed off into the sky. He was little more than a tiny speck in the distance for a few seconds before she lost sight of him completely.

Sophie was positive that she would be getting little sleep that night as she stumbled out of the clearing to do some more extensive research on her 'flying' elf spirit.

* * *

**A/N: Yay I finally finished editing this chapter! At last! And now I'm gonna go find something to eat cause I'm starving... Hope you guys enjoyed the first real glimpse at Jack :) And holy crap How to Train Your Dragon 2 is amazing! I've already watched it twice, but I still want to see it again and again... Anyways, I'll either have the next chapter posted in a week or this Friday depending on how busy I am the next two days.****  
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